Apr 20, 2008 / 15:43 pm
Pope Benedict XVI began the final day of his American visit today with a blessing of Ground Zero, the site of the Sept 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in which 2, 700 people lost their lives.
After the Pope offered prayers and blessed Ground Zero, twenty four victims of the September 11 attacks, including first responders, emergency personnel and family members of those who died, met the Pope individually.
The private encounters, marked by the visible empathy the Holy Father has manifested to so many in his brief tour of the United States, began the process of healing for many.
Lieutenant Eddie Mullen of Ladder 142 in Queens, New York, said that September 11 stands as a "horrible day."
A New York native, Mullen said the Pope's visit to New York, and to the World Trade Center, is an incredible, beautiful thing.